"Homecoming" Chapter 4
Written by: Toni the Mink
All official Sonic characters © SEGA
Bryce the Chameleon (c) Psychedelic Hurricane
"Yo, Esp. Wake up!"
Espio suddenly awoken to the rough shaking of his shoulder. He shook his head a bit, before suddenly realizing that the car was not moving, and where they were supposed to be. "Are we there?!" he cried.
"Nah," Vector replied, "We're at a gas station. Charmy had to pee. Plus I'm thinkin' of picking up some more snacks and drinks. Ya want anything?"
Espio lowered his head. "I'm fine."
"Ya sure? Water? Ho-ho?"
"I still have my tea…"
Vector glanced down at the tea still sitting in its cup holder. "That tea's gotta be cold and stale by now… Ya sure ya don't want anything?"
"… Water then, please…"
"You got it," Vector opened his door and stepped out of the car, "By the way. If ya gotta go, now's the time. We're halfway there, but I'm tryin' to limit stops on the way, all right?"
"Right…" Espio nodded, then slowly climbed out of the car as well. He found Charmy coming out from a door on the side of the mini-mart, happily humming to himself as he made his way towards the CUV.
"Hiya Espio!" he chimed, "Had a good sleep?"
No. Not after those memories came back to haunt him…
"… Yes. Thank you."
He passed Charmy and pushed through the men's room. As he went on with his business, he couldn't help but worry about what Vector's next course of action was. He had mentioned that they were halfway to Rainbow Valley, meaning they must have been on the road for a little over three hours now. Usually on long drives such as this (or if he simply did not feel like driving anymore) Vector would give the wheel to Espio. Normally the chameleon didn't mind, but in this case, it felt compromising… He would rather much be the passenger being forced to go back to the place he did not want to return to, than actually go there by will. On one hand, they had to go to Rainbow Valley in order to try and find Marcie. But on the other hand… he would be very tempted to speed past the exit, or purposely make a wrong turn, anything to keep them from reaching Rainbow Valley. Vector would be pissed, sure, but rather that than chance running into… him.
No. He couldn't compromise this case. This wasn't about him. This was about a missing girl who could very well be in danger. For all he knew, she could be suffering the fate he had to years ago… If so, he would never forgive himself for allowing past fears to cloud his judgement.
Once he was finished, Espio stepped over to the sink to wash his hands. He reached up to grab a paper towel to dry himself, when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror…
Only it didn't look like him.
The image of a younger chameleon, about ten years younger, stared back at him. Eyes filled with fear, bruises covering his body which trembled violently, looking back at him as if he was about to be attacked or killed. Espio shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He looked back at the mirror. The image was still there. He could almost hear his voice crying out…
"No…! No Bryce! Please! Don't! STOP!"
His heart raced. His breath was short. He wanted it to go away! He stepped backwards, and almost fell into the stall behind him. He managed to twist around and catch himself before hitting the toilet. At this point, his breathing became so rapid he could barely catch his breath. His stomach twisted and turned as the memories kept replaying in his mind…
"Please! Stop! It hurts!"
"SHUT IT!" Bryce hissed, "Everytime you make a noise, I make it hurt worse. Please, Nage… keep making noises. Do it…"
He could feel the pain all over again… From every inch on his body, he could relive the pain.
It was rising from his gut, and into his throat, and suddenly he realized was about to throw up. He quickly threw his head over the toilet and emptied out his stomach. He couldn't breathe, his face was hot, and tears were streaking down his cheeks.
After a while, Espio finally stopped throwing up and sat backwards, but his body still trembled hard, and he was still hyper ventilating. 'Calm down, Espio…' he mentally told himself, 'Get a grip! Vector is counting on you to help him with this case… Do not let your emotions get the best of you.'
He forced himself to take some deep breaths, until finally he was able to stabilize his breathing. But his body was still shaking, and he could feel his face was wet from tears. He couldn't return to his team like this. They would ask questions for sure. He needed to meditate. But that would take too long. Sooner or later one of them would come in looking for him, and ask why the heck he's meditating in a goddamn public bathroom?!
Espio forced himself back to his feet and went back to the sink. He splashed water on his face, then dried it off with a paper towel, all while being careful not to look back in the mirror. Hopefully he looked all right…
Forcing more deep breaths, he then came back out of the bathroom and returned to the vehicle, where Vector and Charmy were waiting, making some idle chat with one another.
"'Bout time," said Vector, handing Espio a bottle of water, "You took a dump or somethin'?"
Espio turned away, "None of your business…"
"Yeah, you took a dump," Vector chuckled as he started the car. Charmy giggled at Vector's remark. If only Espio could be in just as high spirits…
Lucky for him, Vector didn't ask him to take over driving, as the croc pulled out back into the street and towards the highway. Espio gave thanks to the spirits above… He was doing everything he could just to keep it together at that moment.
During the long drive, he was able to remain calm. He continued his deep breathing silently to himself, while trying to clear his mind. Once in a while, however, an unpleasant memory popped into his mind, which he had to concentrate hard to try and remove, but it lingered. He kept his composure and continued his breathing techniques.
Fortunately, distractions came about, which he was grateful for. Vector had synched his headphones to the car stereo, so they all ended up listening to his rather varied tastes in music, from techno, to hard rock, to JPOP, and oddly enough, even some opera. Charmy had started up a game of "punch buggy" and shouted out every car that passed by that was from another city. Vector played along for several minutes, until Charmy "punched buggied" him a little too hard on the back of his head, then yelled at him to stop that stupid game. What Espio would normally consider "annoying distractions" were for once welcomed to the chameleon. Anything that would keep those terrible memories from popping back up into his mind.
For a long while, he was calm and content. He managed to keep his anxiety and any possibility of another attack at bay. This may work out well in the end…
"Look alive, boys!" Vector announced, "We're heading into Rainbow Valley now."
And just like that, Espio's entire body tensed up. He glared out the windshield to see that they were taking the exit that left the highway and entering Rainbow Valley territory. His breathing started to speed up. They were getting closer….
He shut his eyes and took a deep breath again, trying to calm his nerves. Just because they were returning here doesn't mean they're going to run into him… It was too unlikely. Espio had gone on to a different place. Chances are he may have done the same as well…
Then he could be anywhere in the world.
This thought did not help Espio ease up…
As they drove into town, the chameleon grabbed hold of his seat, forcing himself to take deep breaths in order to relax. But telling yourself to relax rather than just letting it come naturally was not an easy task in the least.
"Wow! Lookit that!" Charmy had his nose pressed against the window, "So many chameleons! And they come in all sorts of colors!"
"That's prolly' why they call it Rainbow Valley, right Esp?" asked Vector.
"Yes. Exactly…" Espio muttered.
Vector chuckled. "You seem to know that fact for not ever hearin' 'bout this place before."
Espio's eyes suddenly shot up, realizing he had said too much just by simply saying two words. He needed to be more careful.
As they continued on, the sights of the town were bringing back memories to Espio. He could clearly remember some of these places. The bakery where his mother used to work, the park, the shopping center… They all brought back memories of his childhood…
Many that were all too painful… He found himself clutching his crossed arms tightly, and loosened his grip, but the uneasiness wouldn't let go.
"Place is bigger than I imagined," Vector murmured, "I wish there was a way we could'a pinpointed Crimson Shadow's location. You were right, Esp. We are pretty much going in blind. Where're we gonna start?"
"We should ask people in businesses, like restaurants or toy stores," said Charmy.
Vector smirked. "You hungry, Charmy? Or just wanna buy a new toy?"
"Might as well kill two birds with one stone, right?"
"We'll get lunch a little later," Vector replied, "Right now, we gotta think like a criminal. If we were hidin' a young girl, where we go?"
"The park?" asked Charmy.
"C'mon, Charmy! Get outta your mindset! Think like a bad guy!"
"Maybe he's at home?"
"But where would his home be..?"
Ahead of them, they were approaching a fork in a road. A passing sign read…
"- TOWN CENTRE
LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD -"
Vector drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while humming to himself. "Hmmm… Which way…?"
Espio took a deep breath while he heart continued to race. While he couldn't remember exactly where his aunt's house was, he did remember they lived close on this road. If they turned onto the neighborhood, they'd be getting closer to that old home…
He was about to suggest going left toward Town Centre when Vector suddenly hit the turn signal to go right. "Okay, let's start with the neighborhood. Maybe we can look 'im up and find the addre-"
"NO!" Espio suddenly screamed.
Vector quickly jerked the wheel to the left, nearly smacking into the median ahead and cutting off another car, who blared its horn angrily. "What the hell, Esp?!" Vector shouted, "You tryin' ta get us killed?!"
Espio quickly turned his head away, trying to maintain his breathing. "No… I'm sorry, I just… I was just trying to tell you…" He swallowed, "I think it may be better to check the town center. I think Charmy's right. We would have better luck if we checked the businesses first."
"Fine, but ya didn't have to scream at me like that," Vector muttered, "I coulda just looked for another road to turn around on."
"Sorry…" Espio murmured.
As they drove through, Charmy spotted more different colored chameleons. He looked over to Espio to see his reaction, but his friend simply had his eyes closed tightly, as if trying to force something out… 'Hmmm…' Charmy thought, 'Hope he doesn't have to poop again.'
Vector twitched his nostrils as be observed the stores they passed. "What kinda place would a child predator want to frequent?" he wondered out loud, "Or at the very least, would know about him?"
"What about that food market?" Charmy leaned forward and pointed towards out the windshield, as they passed a mini-mart. "The guy has to get his food somewhere, right?"
The crocodile nodded. "It's a start," he said. He turned down the block the mart was located on, and pulled into a nearby public lot. Shutting off the engine, he and Charmy then proceeded to exit the CUV.
*chirp chirp* Vector locked the vehicle and trudged forward but Charmy suddenly grabbed his attention. "Uh Vector?" he said, pulling at his headphones, "Espio's still in the car…"
Vector looked back. Espio was indeed still sitting in the passenger seat, eyes shut tightly, his mind clearly trapped elsewhere.
Do I really want to do this..? the chameleon thought to himself, Am I ready to take this step? I promised myself I would never return here… How do I step foot into this place once more..? Spirits, give me strength…
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Espio suddenly jumped at the noise outside his window. Vector stood outside his door with an impatient look on his face. "What're sittin' around for, Espio? Come on, let's go! We've got some investigatin' to do!"
Espio blinked, astonished, then slowly nodded, and let himself out of the car. As Vector and Charmy stepped off, the chameleon went to follow, and found his legs to be extremely wobbly. He sprinted to catch up, and nearly fell over, but managed to catch himself. Fortunately, his teammates didn't notice this and continued on. As Espio tried to follow, the uneasiness of his legs were taking its toll, and he found it a little painful to try and keep up. He stopped for a moment, but the pain didn't go ahead. If anything, it was rising, up his legs and into his gut. Dear gods, please don't throw up again, and in front of Charmy and Vector..!
"Yo Esp!"
Espio looked up, and noticed his team was several feet ahead of him, about to enter the mini-mart. "What's takin' you so long?" Vector called over.
"I'm coming!" Espio sprinted forward, despite the wobbling legs, and did everything he could to force the pain aside. Once he reached the other two, they all proceeded to go in.
"Really Espio," Vector muttered, "Yeh say ya don't think much about comin' to this place, but you are one distracted guy. I bet you are pretty hyped about bein' here, ain't ya?"
Espio tuned away quickly, trembling. Hyped?! Really?! He wanted to shout at him, but managed to keep himself under control.
"But anyway," Vector continued, "Ya gotta focus, all right? We're here ta' find a missin' girl. Once we find her, then we'll sight see and make new friends. Got it?"
"The sooner we get this over with, the better…" Espio grumbled.
"Then get yer head in th' game," said Vector, as he approached the front counter and grabbed the attention of a female chameleon organizing the candy bars. "S'cuse us, miss, but we've got some questions for you…"
Espio glanced around the store, and his heart beat faster and harder. He remembered this place… Aunt Maya would drag him here if Bryce or his grandmother wasn't around to watch him. A lot of people knew her, and she'd have to introduce the little child she was forced upon as well.
What if someone recognized him?!
What if Maya still shopped here?!
Or worse?! Bryce?!
Espio tried to control himself, but the thoughts were overwhelming. He glared at every part of the store, hoping that someone he knew and wished he didn't wouldn't come around and find him. Oh Gaia, he just wanted to get out of that place and fast!
"I've heard of him…" the cashier replied to Vector's question, "But I've never seen him. He has two other guys come in here for him half the time."
"And their names?" asked Vector.
"Ham and Bone."
"Those sound like lame names…"
Espio inched a little closer to Vector. He hated this feeling of needing protection… but he was just not comfortable standing by himself. His breathing started to normalize, but his mind was still filled with paranoid thoughts.
"… over at Crimson Tavern. It's down the street. But I'd be careful if I were you. I wouldn't step foot in that kind of place. It just doesn't sound safe."
Vector nodded. "You've been a great help. Thanks." He dropped some change into her tip jar, and motioned his team to follow him out. Oddly enough, while he started out the door, Espio had suddenly rushed passed him and was outside first. "Whoa, you in a hurry or somethin'?"
"I… I just didn't like the feel of that place," Espio answered quickly.
Vector looked back at the store. "The mini-mart?" he asked, "What's wrong with it? Seemed quaint to me."
"Looks can be deceiving, Vector…"
The croc simply shrugged. "You ninjas are so over sensitive, y'know that?"
"Let's just get to where we need to go…" Espio muttered, heading off down the block.
"Ya think that store is bad, just wait 'till we hit this pub," said Vector, "That lady in there said it wasn't for any folk, and that it seems dangerous. You can handle it though, can't ya?"
Espio clenched his fists. "I can handle anything…"
He wasn't just saying that to Vector. He was trying to say that to himself. He repeated it in his head several times. The only thing was, he had trouble believing himself.
"Hey Espio!" Charmy piped up.
"Yes..?"
"That girl didn't have a horn," the bee mentioned, "I know the difference between boys and girls now, and I saw a lot of chameleons with horns, but the girl chameleons don't. How come girls don't have 'em like you do?"
"Female chameleons don't have horns like males," Espio replied, "It all goes back to the ancient times, before animals were fully evolved. Horns served as a way to attract females. They…" he drifted off, "It's… a little complicated to explain. I'll tell you when you're older."
"In other words," Vector grinned, "The bigger yer horn, the more ladies flock to ya, am I right?"
Espio turned his head to the side, "In a way, yes…"
Charmy scratched his chin. "So… instead of a penis, you have a horn?"
Espio and Vector froze in their tracks. Vector couldn't help but double over laughing. Espio, who should've been either offended, horrified, or embarrassed, gave a smile and chuckled. His anxiety, while not completely gone, was starting to melt away. This was just what he needed to relax…
"Thank you, Charmy…"
The bee blinked. "For what?"
Espio shook his head. "Oh. Nothing. We should stop fooling around and get back to the case."
The three continued on down the street. After passing several blocks, they took notice just how grittier the town looked. These were definitely the "bad parts" of town.
Someone like Bryce would feel right at home in this place… That thought alone made Espio shiver.
"There it is," Vector pointed ahead, "Crimson Tavern. The girl at the mini-mart told us this was where Crimson Shadow's lugs worked. The place even has the name 'Crimson' in it. If he ain't here, I dunno where he'd be."
The tavern was definitely an old, run down building. No one with any self-respect would want to be seen near such a place, let alone drink. This place practically reeked with hoodlums…
"Stick close to us, Charmy," said Vector, "I don't like the looks of this place at all…"
"Should I just wait outside?" Charmy suggested.
Vector looked around the neighborhood a bit. "Nah," he replied, "It looks just as bad outside as it does in there… Just stay close, and don't wander off."
"I told you bringing him here was a bad idea," said Espio.
"Yeah, yeah," said Vector, "But what's done is done. He's here, and ya never know if and when we might need 'im."
"Yeah!" said Charmy, "Besides, I hate it when you leave me behind on a case."
"Only if there's a good reason for it," said Espio.
"Guys come on, argue later," said Vector as he approached the door to the tavern, "Let's check this place out first."
The three entered the tavern. It looked even more dank and run down than either of them had imagined. The lights were dim, the glasses and plates didn't look very clean, and the ceiling was filled with a thick fog of tobacco. Charmy had to fly low to keep from inhaling second-hand smoke.
The majority of the patrons were chameleons, most of them drunk or down on their luck. Despite this, the detectives still looked out of place. Perhaps because they were quite sober and clean. Espio glanced around the bar nervously. This was definitely the kind of place that his cousin would frequent. He remembered those nights he'd come home drunk and either beat the living daylights of him, or do… other things.
This was another place he wished they would hurry up and get out of. What if he did visit this tavern? What if he ran into him? What would he do?
Get over yourself, Espio! the chameleon mentally scolded himself, The chances of running into your cousin after all this time is extremely slim. Now focus! You have a case in front of you that requires your attention. Stop worrying about such nonsense and concentrate!
That's what he tried to convince himself this all was… Just nonsense…
The abuse… the hardship… the pain…
It didn't feel like nonsense though…
"Hey Espio!" Charmy suddenly cried out.
Espio whipped his head up. "What?" he cried.
"That guy looks just like you!"
Shocked, Espio turned to where the bee was pointing…. It turned out to be another purple chameleon, only much older, with a thick white mustache and matching eyebrows, and sporting a red vest. The drunken chameleon glanced over and nodded a greeting, "Howdy…" he mumbled, "Th' name's Barney…"
Espio gave a half-hearted smile and nodded back. He then let out a sigh of relief.
Vector had finally approached the front bar, where two chameleons stood behind, one a lime-green who was skinny and lanky, and the other taller, with dark-yellow scales and beefy looking. The lanky one was counting money in his register, while the beefcake wiped down a beer glassed with a filthy rag.
"Ham and Bone, I take it?" Vector grabbed their attentions.
The two stopped what they were doing and looked over. "What's it to ya?" asked Bone, the lanky one.
"Heard from a reliable source that you two worked here," Vector responded, "Also heard ya had connections with Crimson Shadow."
The large chameleon, Ham Vector assumed he was, threw his rag on the ground and stomped towards the crocodile. "Whattya want?!"
"Easy, Ham," Bone held his arm out to stop his bigger friend, "Let's hear 'em out first…"
"I just had few questions for the guy," said Vector, "Any chance you hookin' me up ta' see 'im?"
"No way!" Ham threw out his arms, "We ain't pullin' him from his back office for th' likes of YOU!"
"Ham!" Bone hissed, "Shut it!"
Vector smirked. "Back office, ya say? Well, then if ya don't mind, I'll just-"
Ham jumped over, blocking Vector's path. "Don't even think about steppin' past me!"
Vector narrowed his eyes. "If ya wanna hinder our case, I have no qualms beating the crap outta ya!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!" Bone stepped in and got between the two, "Let's not make a scene. This place can get violent in the drop of a dime. So far, we had seven days without any incidents, and we're trying to go for a new record here. I'm sure we can work somethin' out."
"Just get yer boss out here so we can ask some questions, and then we'll be on our way," Vector coldly replied.
Bone glared back at him. "Questions regarding what, if I may ask?"
"None yer business," the croc spat, "You ain't involved.
"Well, Crimson's had his fair share of trouble in the past," said Bone, "He ain't gonna just talk to anybody. Give me some details, and I'll pass it along to him, and let him decide if he'll come out or not."
"Or how 'bout you take us to him instead?" said Vector, "Doesn't have to show himself in front of everyone, we can keep it all private."
"You don't get to call the shots, pal," Bone growled, "Either you tell me what's goin' on, or you can just leave. Now!"
Vector narrowed his eyes. If he told him about wanting to look for Marcie, this could give himself away to Crimson, who'd look to escape, or even do something to the girl if he indeed had to captive anywhere… But at the same time, if he didn't tell Bone anything, they couldn't get to Crimson Shadow anyway, especially with that hammy brute standing in the way.
The croc sighed. "Okay, fine," he mumbled, "We're just tryin' to find a missing person. We have evidence that connect Crimson with her. We just need to ask him a few things about her."
"There, was that so hard?" Bone grinned, "I'll pass this along to him, and let you know if he wants to come out or not. Ham, keep an eye on 'em, make sure they don't do anything stupid." The lanky chameleon turned and disappeared into the back of the tavern, as Ham crossed his arms and kept a close eye on the detectives.
Vector crossed his own arms and tapped his foot impatiently. Charmy kept himself entertained by spinning on a barstool top in circles. "Wheee!"
Espio glanced around the bar some more. Though he remained composed, he still had that paranoid feeling that he was here… Somewhere…
Espio sighed. He figured he was being silly. He reminded himself that the odds of running into his cousin after all this time were slim to none. And what would happen if he did somehow see him again? Was he really going to cower while he did the unimaginable to him all over again? No… Espio was a ninja. He would most likely take him down…
….Unless of course he got stronger himself. Perhaps learned something Espio didn't know about. He could feel a wave of anxiety come rushing towards him once more. Espio straightened up and tried to contain himself. You are being ridiculous… Stop worrying over nothing! He is NOT here… He is NOT coming after you… Now concentrate and focus like the ninja and the detective you are..!
"Are you Crimson Shadow?"
Espio glanced over. Vector was speaking to two chameleons that had come from the back. One was Bone, the other was-
His heart practically stopped. He lost his breath. His eyes widened with fear. Everything around him seemed to have disappeared and he felt his entire body go numb.
Standing next to Bone was a dark-burgundy (almost black) scaled chameleon with blood red eyes and features strikingly similar to that of Espio's…
"Br… Bryce?!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
The idea of female chameleons not having horns is an idea I came up in my own headcanon XD After some research, it appears a certain horned chameleon called "Jackson Chameleons" have 3 horns that are a male attribute, but females either have no horns or a small horn above their nasal area. As for Archie comics and fancharacters who give female chameleons horns... Screw 'em. XD My headverse, my rules. And SEGA themselves have not given us any female chameleons with horns that disprove my theory, so I'm sticking with it for now :D
As you can see, Bryce was Crimson Shadow all along, so in a way Psychedelic Hurricane (AKA Jenna) pretty much owns him. May as well say she owns Ham and Bone as well, as they are based off two other chameleon characters she created for her story that were friends/cohorts of Bryce. They had different names, but I couldn't remember what she named them, so I gave them "nick names" as opposed to their more "normal" names they originally had.
Thank you all for reading and supporting my story! I'm getting lots of faves and followers... However, as "Hammy" (LOL!) as this sounds, I would appreciate a little more reviews. I don't care if they're one worders like "nice" or "cool" or even the oh-so-dreadful "Constructive Criticism" (Not really dreadful, because I encourage those so I can improve) but reviews would really be appreciative! :D Thanks a bunch!